Characterization of CD3+CD4-CD8- (double negative) T cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: production of IL-4

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune rheumatic disease that may affect every organ or system in the body. We have shown previously that the TCR ab‡ subpopulation of CD3‡CD47CD87, DN T cells is expanded in patients with SLE and that double negative T cells express increased levels of activation markers compared both with healthy people and with patients with rheumatoid arthritis, (RA) as autoimmune controls. The aim of this study was to characterize these cells in terms of their ability to produce IL4, a Th2 cytokine, both spontaneously and after mitogen stimulation. It was found that a higher percentageof TCR ab‡ double negative T cells from patients with SLE contained IL4 constitutively than did the same population of cells from healthy people or from those with RA. After mitogen stimulation, there was no signi” cant difference in the amount of IL4 produced by each of the three groups. Further study of patients producing high levels of IL4 (about one third of the patients) indicated...